


Masterpiece

by kribban



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Body Paint, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, mention of BDSM
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:35:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26178856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kribban/pseuds/kribban
Summary: A few years after the events of Flock Together, Pavel and Leonard run into one of Leonard's old scene partners. The brief meeting inspires Pavel to ask Leonard to turn him into a work of art.
Relationships: Pavel Chekov/Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Masterpiece

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Flock Together](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17673458) by [kribban](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kribban/pseuds/kribban). 



When Pavel returned he found Leo talking with another man. 

They were good friends by the looks of it and the other man clapped Leo on the shoulder and threw his head back in laughter just as Pavel came up to them. 

“They only had one left.” Pavel held up the zucchini bread victoriously. It sounded like a peculiar type of pastry, but Leo swore by it and this bakery was known to be the best in San Fransisco. 

Leo wasn't laughing, he hardly ever did, but his eyes were bright and his body language relaxed, the way it tended to get in the company of old friends.

“Thank you, sweetheart.” He wrapped his arm around Pavel's shoulder. “Tony, this is my husband Pavel. Tony and I go way back.”

“So you're the better half, huh?” Tony said warmly and held out his hand for Pavel to shake. He had laugh lines around his eyes and looked like he was a few years older than Leo. “We've all heard so much about you. It's great to put a face to the name at last.”

“We are not on Earth very often,” Pavel said apologetically and wondered how many people were included in Tony's 'we'. It sounded like a lot. 

The grip on his shoulder tightened slightly and Leo's chin was tilted in Pavel's direction. 

“Tony and I came up in the same play circle. It's a small scene, everyone kind of knows each other.”

San Fransisco was by no means a small city, and from what little Pavel knew, the kind of scene Leo had belonged to – _did_ belong to – wasn't very small at all. 

“It's a pleasure to meet you too,” Pavel said quickly and tried to infuse as much warmth into his voice as he could. “Now I finally have someone to ask why it is that Leonard is so popular. He won't tell me anything, probably because he thinks I would not understand.”

“Oh God,” Tony groaned and rolled his eyes. “He's the absolute best. Focused, attentive, perfectly calm at all times. Great attention to detail, imaginative, reads people like a pro.” He had lowered his voice just a little, but he was leaning in slightly as if to emphasize that he was letting Pavel in on a secret. “Leaves _beautiful_ marks, too.”

“All right, if you're going to embarrass me, I'm going to leave,” Leo said gruffly. It was really hard to tell if he was blushing under his shore leave beard, but Pavel thought there was a fifty-fifty chance that he was. 

“On you too?” Pavel asked Tony, although he didn't have the nerve to ask what he really wanted to ask, which was _where_.

“All over! I'd look like a work of art when he was done with me,” Tony said excitedly and his gaze was wistful. “I had full-length mirrors on opposite walls of my bathroom back then and I'd watch myself for hours after a session with this guy. Sorry, if that's too much information.”

“It really isn't,” Pavel smiled and shifted the bread to his other hand so that he could wrap his arm around Leo's waist. “Leonard gives too little credit to himself. It's nice to hear someone else do it.” 

“Uh-huh,” Leo said, which was as much of an acknowledgment as either of them was going to get. “Surely, there's new talent on Okafur street these days.”

“There is, yeah. Oh!” Tony's eyes lit up. “I don't know how long you're in town for, but there's a party on Tuesday, at the old venue, actually. Twenty-five year anniversary. If you're feeling nostalgic for cramped play-space and awful AC...” Tony shrugged and his eyes were hopeful, although it was obvious he was trying not to get his hopes up.

They weren't leaving for Taganrog until Wednesday and Leo could sleep the whole ride over if he needed to. Pavel caught his husband's questioning gaze and turned to smile at Tony.

“He will be there. What time does the party start?”

Leo did sleep during most of the shuttle ride but was in a great mood for the rest of their shore leave. He put up with Andrei's short temper and rude questions without losing his patience and had a long heart-to-heart with the nurse in charge of Andrei's care.

Pavel loved his father, he really did, but it was clear that the man who had raised him no longer existed. Once optimistic and curious, Andrei had become increasingly pessimistic in the last few years and his world had shrunk to the size of his house. His only remaining hobby seemed to be sitting in his armchair, complaining about anything and everything. 

Losing his wife been a tough blow, but he'd had his work and Pavel to live for. Now that old age had robbed him of his work and Starfleet had robbed him of Pavel, it was like he had lost his purpose. 

It wasn't lost on Pavel that the age difference between him and Leo was exactly the same as it had been between his mother and father. Sometimes he wondered what his father would have been like if his mother were still alive. Happier, probably. He would have had something to keep living for and someone to kick him in the ass. 

Pavel didn't even know if any of his father's friends were still alive, but he suspected that they were and Andrei had just stopped calling them.

Sometimes, during his darkest hours, he wondered if he was looking into the future. Leo was grumpy enough at forty-four, was he only going to get worse? But no, Leo had Joanna and possible future grandchildren. He was a carer through and through and would find some outlet for that once he was no longer practicing medicine. He had Pavel, who was damn well going to outlive him. He had the Captain. Even Commander Spock, who was going to outlast them all. He had his... other interests.

The Enterprise-A was in drydock orbiting Earth and they had to beam back from Moscow central. It was on the shuttle ride there, bags full of Earth booze and his aunt's cooking, that Pavel finally had time to think of his encounter with Tony. How he had described Leo matched up pretty well with how Leo was in bed. He was always in control of himself but occasionally, Pavel got him to lose his composure. He loved those moments, and he loved that he was the only person who got to witness them.

But there was something else that Tony had said that had piqued Pavel's curiosity. 

Unfortunately, the shuttle was full of people and Leo was groaning softly with a wet towel over his head, so now wasn't a good time to ask.

“Your friend Tony – does he only want to be beaten?” 

“Uh-huh,” Leo spat out his toothpaste and rinsed his mouth out with water. “Actually, I wouldn't know what he's into these days. Hadn't played with him for years before last week.”

“No needles?” Pavel was leaning against the doorway, waiting for his turn at the sink. It was a tiny bathroom, not big enough to fit two people. It was something he'd gotten used to years ago.

“Nope.”

“Fireplay?” 

“Doesn't leave a mark.”

Pavel hadn't known that. He was so sure it would have. He pondered this for a moment. “Strangulation?”

“What? No, that shit's dangerous.” Leo wiped his face with a towel and glared at him in the mirror. “Have you been researching again?”

“I was just curious,” Pavel shrugged, refusing to feel embarrassed. Leo's world was alien to him, but he also found it fascinating in an academic sort of way. “The way he described it, I was thinking... maybe... cutting?” 

Leo threw the towel in the bathroom recycler and turned. “Well, you're way too imaginative for your own good. Rubber spine flogger, quarter inch. About an hour's work.” He crossed the small room to wrap his arms around Pavel in the doorway. “I put an hour's work into you often enough. No need to be jealous.” 

“'m not jealous,” Pavel nibbled Leo's lip and moaned. “Envious. Not jealous.”

Leo pulled away from him and there was a guarded look in his eyes. “What are you saying, exactly?”

“The aesthetic aspect,” Pavel quickly replied, not wanting Leo to think he was second-guessing himself or their arrangement. “Making him feel like a work of art. I would enjoy that very much.” 

“Well, that is something I can help you with,” Leo said with obvious relief and kissed Pavel softly, again and again. “Give me a few days?” 

“I've given you more,” Pavel replied and dragged his husband over to the bed to give him something else. Brushing his teeth would have to wait.

Leo didn't hint at what he was planning, but Pavel was smart enough to figure out that it involved paint of some kind. Maybe even tattoos. He knew that centuries ago, tattoos had carried a lot of weight because they weren't so easily removed, but these days they were something fun to try for the weekend. He wouldn't mind a few tattoos – or even a lot of them if Leo was designing them. 

The first part of the instructions was simple: wax, shower and apply lotion all over his skin.  
The second part blew his mind: arrive at the Captain's quarters at nine pm.

Pavel had no idea why Leo wanted to meet there.

Their own quarters were cramped, but they had a perfectly comfortable double bed and a recycler if the sheats got messy. 

He had never actually been to the Captain's quarters before and that was the only thing that had him nervous. When he rang the chime, he didn't know what to expect, but Leo opened the door and beckoned him in, giving him a welcoming kiss once the doors had closed behind them.

“Nice to finally see you, Lieutenant.”

“I'm only four minutes late,” Pavel complained as he squirmed out of Leo's embrace. He'd opted for a water shower rather than a sonic and that always took a bit longer. He looked around nervously. 

“The Captain isn't here?”

“Of course not,” Leo sounded offended by the mere suggestion. “This ain't a peep show.”

“Where is he?” Pavel didn't have the duty roster memorized, but if they only had an hour or two, he wouldn't be able to relax.

“Down on the surface, with Sulu and Uhura. Spock's in command.” Leo didn't make a snide comment about that which was probably a sign of how happy he was about whatever they were about to do. “Won't return until tomorrow.”

He took Pavel's hand and led him into a room that was as large as, if not larger than, the rec room. Large mahogany bookshelves lined one of the walls and the shelves were filled with books and trinkets. 

The kitchen section had a real dining room table with six chairs and at the other end of the room was a plush three-seater sofa next to an old stereo. The coffee table had been moved to the side to make room for a massage table; one that Pavel recognized from Sickbay. A few feet away from the sofa were a set of ornate, wooden, double doors that presumably led to the bedroom. The bathroom must be further in. 

Pavel let out a whistle. “It is even bigger than I had imagined. Very lavishly decorated, too.” 

“Yeah, the Captaincy sure does come with some perks, doesn't it?” Leo tugged his hand and led him over to the massage table. “God knows, Jim owes me. Multiple times over.”

Leo and the Captain had been roommates at the Academy, and if the rumors were true, the Captain had been very popular with the female students. It wasn't hard to imagine Leo staying at the library all night just to give his best friend the chance to entertain a lady in private. 

“I think it's good that you finally decided to collect.” Pavel turned to look at the massage table. It was covered in towels and there was a rack full of utensils and little jars next to it. “Shall I get undressed?”

Leo grinned. “Always so quick on the uptake. It's one of the things I like about you.”

The temperature was comfortable and Pavel shed his clothes quickly. He hopped up on the bench and lay down but Leo shook his head. He was pulling on gloves, a sign that things were about to get messy, and crouched down to open one of the jars. “I want to do your back first. It's easier with the design I have in mind.”

“Are you going to tell me about it?” Pavel asked as he turned over, making himself comfortable on his stomach. 

“Well, it's pretty abstract, lots of primary colors. I'm not going to paint any skin that isn't covered by your uniform,” Leo added.

That meant it was going to last a while.

“It won't wash out? Even with a sonic? I like that,” Pavel said softly. “I _really_ like that.” The thought of seeing glimpses of Leo's work when he showered, when he went to the bathroom, or when he undressed in the locker room was incredibly thrilling.

Leo stood up again, holding a paintbrush in one hand and a jar in the other. He shook his head. 

“Once dry, the paint is genetically sealed to your epidermis. It will allow your skin to breathe normally and will grow out in about a month. Should you tire of it before then, I can always remove it. Now, lie still.”

Pavel felt the tip of the brush on the back of his shoulder and then Leo made a long, continuous stroke down his buttocks and into the crack of his ass. The brush tickled a little, but not so much that Pavel couldn't lie still. It felt cold where the paint touched his skin, but only for a few seconds, and then there was no sensation at all. As far as erotic experiences went, it was a bit underwhelming. 

It took Leo about half an hour to finish painting and then he put on some music while they waited for the genetic seal to activate. They talked a bit about ship's business, the least sexy topic in the galaxy, before it was time for Pavel to turn over. When he did, he noted briefly that his cock was completely limp. 

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been naked in front of his husband without it being at least a little bit sexy.

“All right,” Leo said and painted a broad brush stroke from Pavel's left shoulder down to his belly button. Pavel looked down eagerly and frowned. The paint was completely transparent, a little glossy like massage oil. 

“Are you pulling my leg, Leo?”

The corners of Leo's mouth turned upwards. “Don't you need patience to be in Command, Lieutenant? The color becomes visible once the genetic seal has been activated and not a moment sooner.”

Pavel closed his eyes and tried not to be too disappointed. A surprise – Leo was good at those. There was one advantage to being on his back, though. While he couldn't see the picture that Leo was painting, he could watch Leo, and that was a treat all on its own.

His husband had that look of concentration on his face that he usually reserved for treating a patient or reading a particularly complex medical text. His eyes were fixed on his own hand and the part of Pavel's body he was painting. He only lifted the brush to dip it in one of the jars or to replace it with another brush. His movements were steady and continuous, and not once did he seem unsure of his next step.

“This is what you're like when you go to clubs? Doing scenes, right?”

“Hmm, maybe,” Leo replied after a while and placed the brush on the tray. “There are some distinct differences. For instance, I don't do _this_ with any of my scene partners.” 

He leaned down and sucked the tip of Pavel's cock. Pavel let out a cry and rolled his hips into the heat, feeling his cock harden as saliva dripped down the length of it. The very next second, Leo's mouth was gone and Pavel let out a groan.

“Are you going to tease me?” 

“Call it my artistic process,” Leo said with a chuckle. “As much as I love sucking you off, sweetheart, I need you hard for this.” 

He wiped the saliva off with a cloth and then Pavel felt the touch of the brush on his glans. 

Forget the showers; he wouldn't be able to take a piss without being reminded of tonight,

“Well, proceed with it then!” 

And proceed, Leo did. 

There were three brushes from what Pavel could tell and at least two different colors. Leo painted his cock from root to tip, continued down his scrotum, and into the cracks of his ass where he spent a long time connecting the brushstrokes to the ones he'd made when Pavel had been on his stomach.

Pavel poured all of his energy into not coming over Leo's delicate artwork and when his husband finally moved away, he estimated that he had about thirty seconds left on his countdown. 

He heard the snap of gloves being removed and then the music was turned up again. He lifted his head.

“That's it?”

Leo nodded. “Now we wait. Want me to get you a drink?”

“I would prefer if you would let me come,” Pavel said wistfully, although his cock was already softening a bit. He really hoped that wouldn't mess up the design, either. “But I'm excited to see the finished result.”

There was no sensation when the colors came in and it happened over the course of less than a minute. Dark blue streaks appeared on his pale stomach and it happened suddenly enough that he had to blink. Leo held out his hand and Pavel took it, eagerly, even though he didn't need it.

He sat up and watched in fascination as his arms and legs lit up in various shades of blue and green. There were pencil-fine lines tracing his muscles; gold on his biceps and deltoids, and along the muscles in his stomach. The lines were so fine and the gold blended so well with the background color that it didn't look at all gaudy. 

From the waist down he was darker, and the gold outlining the muscles of his legs fit so well with the green that you almost couldn't see it. 

His cock was almost black, though when he looked closer, he saw that it was actually a very dark shade of gold with flecks of brown mixed in. 

Save for his hands, feet, and face, he was painted all over. Really, all over. He couldn't wait to see the rest of it.

“Is there a mirror in the bathroom?”

“Sure,” Leo said smugly and carefully lifted him down from the table, folding him into the embrace that was Pavel's and always would be. “If you want to use the one that's in there, go ahead, but...” 

He took Pavel's hand and dragged him over to the wooden doors that opened without making a sound. 

The bedroom before them was large, but not particularly lavish. There was a big, comfortable bed, a dresser, and... 

All of a sudden, Pavel's mind was flooded with a lot of deeply unsexy thoughts. Thoughts about how, when, and most importantly with _whom_ , Captain Kirk was having all this very, very, voyeuristic sex. 

There was a mirror above the head of the bed, one at each of the opposite walls, one in the ceiling, and yes, when Pavel turned around he saw that there was a mirror fixed in the wall next to the now closed doors. 

“I don't think I want to know,” he admitted. Leo had that amused wink in his eye that usually only appeared after two uneventful weeks and a glass of bourbon. 

“Smart choice. Don't worry, I had the whole goddamn room sanitized,” he said and led Pavel over to the bed. “Knock yourself out, Lieutenant.”

Pavel glanced at the mirror to his left. He was covered in paint from his shoulders and all the way down to the part where the bed obscured the view. At a distance, it almost looked like he was wearing clothes. Really, really, tight-fitting clothes. Even though he knew the dye didn't come off, he climbed onto the bed carefully.

“Are you sure I'm not going to ruin the Captain's sheets?”

Leo looked disgusted. “It's not Jim's sheets! My God, what kind of a pervert do you think I am?”

“A very sweet pervert,” Pavel said with a chuckle. He leaned back on his arms, looked up, and gasped. “I take that back, Leo. You're an artist!”

At first glance, it looked like Leo had painted a landscape with lakes and forests, but the colors were too dark and the gold made everything look a bit metallic. A bit cosmic. 

“You painted a nebula on me?”

“There isn't a nebula with four straight limbs that I'm aware of. It's an approximation of one.” 

Pavel turned and twisted to see what his back look liked. The mirrors were a bit too far apart for the image in the one behind him to be fully reflected in the one in front of him. This room had been designed to give the occupant unlimited options to view himself, but not to study fine details. It was a room for an exhibitionist, not an art critic. 

“That's okay, Leo. A nebula never looks like in the pictures, anyway.” 

“They don't?”

Pavel shook his head and stretched his legs out in front of him. The skin between his knees and calves was painted in the darkest green color he'd ever seen, but the color ended sharply just above his ankles. Like Leo was expecting him to walk barefoot in front of the crew. “All photographs of nebulae are educational. They have been modified to highlight a specific feature of the nebula, like temperature, relative density, or spectral lines. It's science, not art.” 

“Could have fooled me,” Leo said softly. He was standing by the edge of the bed, and Pavel didn't have to look to know that he was watching him. 

“This is art, though,” Pavel said and lay down on his back to watch the whole front of the painting, shoulders to calves. He was fairest in the middle, but the concentration of gold was heaviest on his chest and arms, save for his cock. The insides of his thighs were a light blue, like the evening sky. Lying there, looking at himself in the mirror, was a bit like looking up at an astronomical projection or the night sky. He'd done that a lot as a kid.

“I appreciate this, Leo. Thank you.”

“Appreciate it, huh?” Leo muttered, but it was his mock-gruffness he was speaking with. “I'm real glad you 'appreciate it', Lieutenant.” 

“Come,” Pavel scooted over to leave room on the bed for his husband. “Lay down with me.”

Leo complied, and though he was the one wearing clothes, he looked bare next to the adorned Pavel. “If I didn't know better, I'd say you were an exhibitionist, Pasha.” 

“I am merely admiring your talent. Oh, Leo, you have turned me into a work of art,” Pavel whispered and reached for his cock, wanting it to get hard again so he could see how it was painted. 

Leo turned on his side and covered Pavel's hand with his own, rubbing his thumb over the glans. 

“You've been a work of art since the day I met you, sweetheart. I just enhanced your beauty.”

Pavel never liked to be called beautiful; it sounded so silly and reminded him a bit of their encounter with Apollo which he desperately wanted to forget. Leo often called him handsome, gorgeous, or sexy, but never beautiful. This time, Pavel didn't mind it so much.

Leo had gone to great lengths to give him exactly what he wanted, and now Pavel was the one who would study himself in the bathroom, dreaming of this night.

He just wished he could do the same for Leo.

Ever since Commander Reyez had transferred off the Enterprise, Leo hadn't had a regular playmate, and the stops between planets with large cities and heavily populated space stations were few and far between.

Though Pavel was supportive and even watched porn with Leo sometimes, this was a desire he couldn't, wouldn't fulfill.

He sat up and pushed Leo's hand away so that he could take a good look at his cock. As he studied it closely, he realized that the flecks of brown had been stretched out to form letters and digits. It was his serial number.

Pavel started laughing and threw his arms around his husband. “Oh, why didn't you write your initials, Leo? A great artist must sign his paintings, yes?”

“I thought that might be a little too proprietary for your taste,” Leo replied with a satisfied sigh as Pavel started kissing his cheek and neck. “Besides, it's only legible when you have an erection, which sort of defeats the purpose.” 

“It's not any more proprietary than our rings,” Pavel argued between kisses. He was high on the attention, love, and concern that he had been showered with. “We could get matching tattoos. Matching cock tattoos,” he added with a grin as he pulled away.

Leo had that look on his face that meant he knew he was well on the way to getting laid and looking forward to it. “I don't need ink on it to know it belongs to you, Pasha.”

“That's very sweet,” Pavel laughed and took Leo's clothes off, one layer at a time until his husband's body was revealed to him in all of its glory.

He knew Leo felt bad about his slight pudge and ignored it in favor of his muscled chest that he kissed and then gave a little shove so that Leo ended up on his back.

“I wish I could give you the world, Leo,” Pavel whispered when he was straddling his husband. He could see the whole front of his chest and arms in the mirror in front of him. 

“World's looking pretty good from where I'm lying,” Leo said with a wink and looked up in the ceiling mirror. “Take a look at your ass.” 

It was a bit awkward to turn his neck, but Pavel managed. There were two perfectly round dark blue globes on each of his cheeks, scattered with bright dots that seemed to glow even though the lights were on. Starfields.

He returned his attention to the man who was incompatible with him in one or two very important aspects, but who nonetheless was his perfect match.

“Tell me what you want, Leo.”

“Just make love to me,” his husband said softly, and that was a desire that Pavel was more than happy to fulfill.


End file.
